Kerileanne99 Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 Seeking collective wisdom on the issue. Max is now 2 months old, and growing like a weed! He went from being a tiny little guy at under 6 1/2 pounds when we brought him home to a wopping almost 13 pounds at 2 months, lol. That explains why I can't seem to eat enough and why my back is screaming:) However, primarily in the last couple of weeks, his umbilical hernia (barely evident at birth) has gotton so much worse. I scheduled his 2 month checkup a few days earlier than it was supposed to be because it began to look a bit raw in one edge. The ped gently pushed it back in and said it is right at the limit of what may/may not close on its own as he grows and may require surgery when he is older. I researched the surgery and it seems fairly straightforward... and generally the odds of it closing naturally are great. So. I kind of wrote it off as me being paranoid and just resolved to keep an eye on it, but even this week it seems larger. This photo (if it will attach) was taken when he was relaxed and happy, but when he is really crying it gets even larger, and deepens in color to a purplish hue. I read that if it was incarcerated it wouldnt get smaller again, so I doubt it is that, but it also doesnt ever flatten or retreat on its own. Today the skin is glossy, as though it is just stretched excessively. Umbilical hernias seem to be quite common, so I thought I would ask here. Anybody had a child with one that needed attention at infancy? or did they all just clear up? Looking back, I now think my dd had a less severe version, and she *still* has a small indentation at age 5. Should I seek a 2nd opinion or just keep an eye on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IdahoHomeschooler Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I would ask the ped for a referral to see a surgeon for a consult. The surgeons I know don't generally repair them before they are a year old, but I think it would help ease your mind a bit to know that it has been seen. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I can hardly read your post because the font size is so small, but based on my experience with older DD, I would watch and wait. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 I can hardly read your post because the font size is so small, but based on my experience with older DD, I would watch and wait. Yikes, apologies! I will attempt to resize. I had trouble resizing the photo and ended up cutting and pasting the post into Word to avoid losing it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plink Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 We were told that if there were any noticible/drastic changes to notify the doc. We did. They got her scheduled for surgery the next week. Hernias that heal on their own get progressively better, not worse. Call. Even if they decide to just continue monitoring it, you will be better able to sleep at night. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparrowsNest Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I had an umbilical hernia, as did my dh. Both of ours were repaired in adulthood. Mine was 'hiding' strangely enough, I had an innie belly-button but at the very bottom of it was a hernia. Weird. Most of my kiddos have had umbilical hernias. Our approach has been 'watchful waiting' until about age 4 or 5. Some have ended up with surgery, some have not. From my understanding, if a child seems to be in pain with it, or you see signs of infection, or if you cannot get it back in, those would be reasons to seek medical attention. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I was going to tell you to relax and then I saw the picture. While they are very common and often close on their own, that one needs a surgical opinion. My son had a fairly significant one that did close on it's own. It got worse before it got better, but it was still not bulging beyond about two inches and didn't stretch or distort. That would have be more concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrittanyM Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 My nephew had one that looked similar to your sons and it healed on its own. He is two now and his belly button looks normal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 After seeing the photo, I would lean more toward getting a second opinion. It still may be a wait-and-see situation, but especially since you're seeing changes and the skin is stretched, I'd get it checked out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I would relax after getting a second opinion. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted June 19, 2015 Share Posted June 19, 2015 I would have a surgeon look at it. Our son had a 'mild' one that our pediatrician wasn't worried about. Around age four, our son had a bad asthma attack and the umbilical hernia became strangulated. It became an emergancy situation very quickly. In hindsight, I wish - if nothing else - that we had met with a surgeon earlier so we weren't handing our child off to an unknown doctor for emergancy surgery. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 We were told that if there were any noticible/drastic changes to notify the doc. We did. They got her scheduled for surgery the next week. Hernias that heal on their own get progressively better, not worse. Call. Even if they decide to just continue monitoring it, you will be better able to sleep at night. How old was your child when the hernia was repaired, if you don't mind my asking? The surgery looks pretty straightforward, but he is so tiny:( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 I had an umbilical hernia, as did my dh. Both of ours were repaired in adulthood. Mine was 'hiding' strangely enough, I had an innie belly-button but at the very bottom of it was a hernia. Weird. Most of my kiddos have had umbilical hernias. Our approach has been 'watchful waiting' until about age 4 or 5. Some have ended up with surgery, some have not. From my understanding, if a child seems to be in pain with it, or you see signs of infection, or if you cannot get it back in, those would be reasons to seek medical attention. Thanks. The other concern is that he has a lot of gastric/colic issues. I have eliminated dairy and he is still pretty miserable. In fact, he has been going days at a time without defecating, but isn't constipated? Now I wonder if there isn't more going on. They may not be related at all, or his tummy issues may be making the hernia worse when he strains with gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted June 19, 2015 Author Share Posted June 19, 2015 I would have a surgeon look at it. Our son had a 'mild' one that our pediatrician wasn't worried about. Around age four, our son had a bad asthma attack and the umbilical hernia became strangulated. It became an emergancy situation very quickly. In hindsight, I wish - if nothing else - that we had met with a surgeon earlier so we weren't handing our child off to an unknown doctor for emergancy surgery. Thanks, this is a great point. We live in a town where I am not sure I would be comfortable having this done locally. At least we could get him the best care possible if we were not in an emergency situation. Thanks everyone. I have made an appointment with his pediatrician for Monday, and we will watch it this weekend. I have been taking pics everyday so I have something to illustrate my concern (other than the obvious!). I plan to ask for a referral just in case. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 Update: We took the little guy back to his pediatrician today and the hernia has grown significantly. (Not just the bulge but the opening itself) They did an X-ray to look for abnormalities or blockage as he regularly goes 2-4 days without a bowel movement. We are giving him mineral oil now at direction of doctor to avoid having him strain. Luckily it was negative, but we will see the pediatric surgeon later this week. Thanks for the advice... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 For what it's worth my little guy only poops once or twice a week and we have no reason to suspect any abnormalities. That can be normal for certain children. Not having him strain before the repair is probably a good precaution, but do t let everything freak you out, either! I'm glad you got some eyes on it and are under care - it sounds like it was the best choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathkath Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 All 3 of mine had them and they have gradually turned into cute little outies. My oldest looked like your baby when she was several months old but she was a preemie so she weighed half as much at the time. I also have had an umbilical hernia myself. Was an outie as a child then a painful lump at age 16 requiring surgery. Needed it fixed again after childbirth. If you are able to push it in with ease then you can probably wait and watch. I put off my own hernia repair for years bc of this-- every now and then I would have difficulty getting it back in but then was ultimately successful. If you can't get it back in then it can strangulate and go bad fast. (Happened to my dad with a hiatal hernia). Being that it is something you will see every time you change a diaper, you can keep an eye on it and make sure it can move (you don't want it to be hard to the touch). Considering how much your child has left to grow if it was mine I'd probably give it time to watch and wait. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathkath Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Question-- does the amount protruding look worse or the actual hole? Push it it and feel for the hole in the muscle wall. That may not be growing itself. More or less intestine can pop out and look different yet the hole can remain the same. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderchica Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Sometimes hernias can make it more difficult for you to engage your abs, which helps with gut motility and "moving things along". Smart move taking him back to the pediatrician. I would request he be seen by the surgeon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 Question-- does the amount protruding look worse or the actual hole? Push it it and feel for the hole in the muscle wall. That may not be growing itself. More or less intestine can pop out and look different yet the hole can remain the same. This was ultimately why we took him back to the pediatrician. The protruding part was much smaller at his 2 month checkup, and at that point the dr. Checked the opening itself. It was just at the diameter of my pinky finger. A week later, both the bulge and the hole are significantly larger (just at my index finger). In addition, the bulge gets hard, turns purplish, and the skin gets tight and glossy. Worrisome....not panic mode, but I will feel much better after the surgeon sees it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThursdayNext Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 My daughter had one, and it made me nervous, always checking to make sure it wasn't hard. My husband's aunt did in home daycare, and watched a girl with a lemon sized umbilical hernia. Yes, Lemon sized! And it did get better on its own. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RKWAcademy Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 My son had an umbilical hernia. His was very large. I was told to make sure it doesn't get hard and is easily pushed in (I believe that means no intestines were pushed through the opening). I just made sure it was fine daily when he was little but otherwise ignored it. He had surgery to fix it at age 3. It's not the prettiest belly button now but it looks normal. Honestly, your pic looks about like my son. I'd just keep an eye on it and have the surgery when he's old enough (3 is what I was told). The surgery was very simple. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathkath Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 So hard when they are so little!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Okra Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I'm glad you are getting a second opinion.....please let us know what happens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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